@bobmunro you have to pay a deposit of £500 to stand which would eat into any funds raised
Yes was aware of that Henners - I was thinking I would stump that up (who knows I may not lose it) so all monies raised would go to the good causes. I'm not not sure about charities and political activity - I've just read some stuff where it says a charity should avoid supporting or endorsing a candidate - but I haven't found anything that would preclude a candidate using the process (invisibly if need be) to raise money.
More research needed but it may be a runner if it's lawful. Could have some real fun as well.
I genuinely think this is the best thing/proposal/argument I've now read on 272 pages. I'd quite happily be an official donor to the bob Munro party.
Independents run all the time. I'm now officially backing bob Munro 2022
Anyone know how we can become registered in the area to vote Bob!?
We can all come and live with him. I bet he'd love it. Then there would be no need for any of us to go on here. We just start discussions round his kitchen table. It would be well worth it. For all of us
Eddisbury in Cheshire is my constituency - I can put a load of tents up on my land and you can all register as residents! It's a safe Conservative seat so taking votes from them would be very rewarding but wouldn't affect the result.
Seriously, I think this might be a runner but I'll need to check with the Electoral Commission.
I want to be your campaign manager and would like a room. @Rob7Lee, @SDAddick they can be in these tents.
Actually on second thoughts @Rob7Lee is a tax guru. He can also be in the house.
Further talks later in the week, brexit discussions start Monday week, also talks to restart Stormont, now that the GE is over. This is really going well.
Brexit means brexit, enough is enough, sling your hook means sling your hook.
Toby Young on Marr is a cock. He is one slimy individuál at the best of times, but he said about the election that 'all this triumphalism sticks in my craw'. Toby IT WAS MAY WHO CALLED THE ELECTION. If someone offered me out, and I held them off when they were the aggressor, would I be expected to shut up about it when all done and dusted? All this mood music that Labour should shut up about events is straight out of the 'Plebs and oiks should known their place' chapter in the Conservative handbook.
Is it true that Sinn Fein have complained that a coalition of DUP would break the Good Friday Agreement and does it?
So this the quote I saw which Sinn Fein are said to be keen to challenge a Tory/DUP alliance (whatever form it takes) on:
This is what frightens me about this situation.
We've had relative peace in Northern Ireland for many years now. But it does not mean that there are not still tensions under the surface and groups ready and willing to exploit those tensions given the opportunity. A direct alliance between Downing St and the DUP cannot fulfil that impartiality requirement by definition and there will be individuals on both sides ready to use that to what they see as their advantage.
"Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say."
Whilst I agree with what you have written, are people really that naive to believe that they their country does not monitor communications and data? How are terror plots averted, it can't be just word of mouth and luck? We are world masters when it comes to spying. The Americans use our not so secret electronic listening facility in Yorkshire. I suspect they are not the only ones, as our current leader threatened to withdraw our expertise, cooperation and data from our European friends if her negotiations don't go her way.
As much as it's very worrying about what could happen in NI I'm not sure what the alternative is when the result are what they are;
Con 318 LAB 262 SNP 35 LD 12 DUP 10 SF 7 PC 4 GRN 1 IND 1
So for the Conservatives to form a majority it has to be with either the SNP, the LD or the DUP. SNP & LD is never going to happen, a shame LD's wouldn't step in again.
If Labour joined with all parties and the IND aside from SF would give 325 seats, 1 short. My knowledge in NI isn't brilliant but i'd assume that the DUP wouldn't join with Labour giving them only 315 seats, 3 less than the conservatives have on their own.
I don't think this election could of gone any worse for the country as a whole......
As much as it's very worrying about what could happen in NI I'm not sure what the alternative is when the result are what they are;
Con 318 LAB 262 SNP 35 LD 12 DUP 10 SF 7 PC 4 GRN 1 IND 1
So for the Conservatives to form a majority it has to be with either the SNP, the LD or the DUP. SNP & LD is never going to happen, a shame LD's wouldn't step in again.
If Labour joined with all parties and the IND aside from SF would give 325 seats, 1 short. My knowledge in NI isn't brilliant but i'd assume that the DUP wouldn't join with Labour giving them only 315 seats, 3 less than the conservatives have on their own.
I don't think this election could of gone any worse for the country as a whole......
Toby Young on Marr is a cock. He is one slimy individuál at the best of times, but he said about the election that 'all this triumphalism sticks in my craw'. Toby IT WAS MAY WHO CALLED THE ELECTION.
She called it, however it went to a vote in the house and the turkeys voted for it.
As much as it's very worrying about what could happen in NI I'm not sure what the alternative is when the result are what they are;
Con 318 LAB 262 SNP 35 LD 12 DUP 10 SF 7 PC 4 GRN 1 IND 1
So for the Conservatives to form a majority it has to be with either the SNP, the LD or the DUP. SNP & LD is never going to happen, a shame LD's wouldn't step in again.
If Labour joined with all parties and the IND aside from SF would give 325 seats, 1 short. My knowledge in NI isn't brilliant but i'd assume that the DUP wouldn't join with Labour giving them only 315 seats, 3 less than the conservatives have on their own.
I don't think this election could of gone any worse for the country as a whole......
We are a couple of Bi-elections away - It is one of the reasons why there is no way the Conservative government can last a full term.
A weak government clawing on to power in an economy that isn't thriving - do you think that increases or decreases popularity? We have to remember that the split with Labour was 41% to 43% and that anti Conservative parties had more voters. But the Conservatives are terrified of another election now so they don't see any other option of trying to cling on which weakens them. They are sort of hoping something good happens for them or something bad happens to Labour.
It was calculated that the difference between a Labour Government and a Tory one was around 2k votes - that is the fine margin facing the Tories!
"Arguing that you don’t care about the right to privacy because you have nothing to hide is no different than saying you don’t care about free speech because you have nothing to say."
Whilst I agree with what you have written, are people really that naive to believe that they their country does not monitor communications and data? How are terror plots averted, it can't be just word of mouth and luck? /blockquote>
I become more and more intrigued when I hear that the security services have foiled plots. What were the plots? Where were they? What were the consequences for the plotters? Have there been trials and convictions? Much of this foiling of plots seems to take place in an invisible world and basically we can be told that a hundred plots a week have been foiled but we are not given proof.
A weak government clawing on to power in an economy that isn't thriving - do you think that increases or decreases popularity. But the Conservatives are terrified of another election now so they don't see any other option of trying to cling on.
The last thing we need now is another election.
But what is painfully clear is that hung parliaments are becoming the norm but our political system is not well suited for this being a regular occurance.
Time to change to a voting system that embraces the idea of multi-party Parliaments and not one that is exclusively only useful in a two-party system.
I wonder if we should now start a thread on who will become the next Tory leader because it's now pretty sure that after a period where the conservatives will try to spin solidarity and unity she will be replaced.
As much as it's very worrying about what could happen in NI I'm not sure what the alternative is when the result are what they are;
Con 318 LAB 262 SNP 35 LD 12 DUP 10 SF 7 PC 4 GRN 1 IND 1
So for the Conservatives to form a majority it has to be with either the SNP, the LD or the DUP. SNP & LD is never going to happen, a shame LD's wouldn't step in again.
If Labour joined with all parties and the IND aside from SF would give 325 seats, 1 short. My knowledge in NI isn't brilliant but i'd assume that the DUP wouldn't join with Labour giving them only 315 seats, 3 less than the conservatives have on their own.
I don't think this election could of gone any worse for the country as a whole......
As a labour voter I think it's nonsense that we should even try and form a coalition. It should be up to the Tory party, and to be honest, as a labour voter I'm enjoying seeing them scrabbling around, trying to paper over the cracks and play down what a monumental fuck up on their part calling the election.
The Tories should carry on in government because it will be a great test of their strength and stability
As much as it's very worrying about what could happen in NI I'm not sure what the alternative is when the result are what they are;
Con 318 LAB 262 SNP 35 LD 12 DUP 10 SF 7 PC 4 GRN 1 IND 1
So for the Conservatives to form a majority it has to be with either the SNP, the LD or the DUP. SNP & LD is never going to happen, a shame LD's wouldn't step in again.
If Labour joined with all parties and the IND aside from SF would give 325 seats, 1 short. My knowledge in NI isn't brilliant but i'd assume that the DUP wouldn't join with Labour giving them only 315 seats, 3 less than the conservatives have on their own.
I don't think this election could of gone any worse for the country as a whole......
As a labour voter I think it's nonsense that we should even try and form a coalition. It should be up to the Tory party, and to be honest, as a labour voter I'm enjoying seeing them scrabbling around, trying to paper over the cracks and play down what a monumental fuck up on their part calling the election.
The Tories should carry on in government because it will be a great test of their strength and stability
Theresa May trying to form a strong and stable government like
As much as it's very worrying about what could happen in NI I'm not sure what the alternative is when the result are what they are;
Con 318 LAB 262 SNP 35 LD 12 DUP 10 SF 7 PC 4 GRN 1 IND 1
So for the Conservatives to form a majority it has to be with either the SNP, the LD or the DUP. SNP & LD is never going to happen, a shame LD's wouldn't step in again.
If Labour joined with all parties and the IND aside from SF would give 325 seats, 1 short. My knowledge in NI isn't brilliant but i'd assume that the DUP wouldn't join with Labour giving them only 315 seats, 3 less than the conservatives have on their own.
I don't think this election could of gone any worse for the country as a whole......
Agree voting system needs to change. I'd like to see a top up system so votes reflect seats. The list would be made up of other candidates who came second in order of number of votes. Not perfect but no system is. I think maybe you would draw the line at parties who didn't gain even a single seat to keep extremist parties out, but not sure on that aspect.
I have retired from the keyboard but I will share one primary concern which was reinforced over the course of this election campaign. It is compounded by the end result.
I have no problem with the result. The people have spoken again and our elected officials will need to get on with roles they have been elected to fulfil. It is indeed called “grown up” politics.
I fully recognised the political need for May to call the election but with such a lack of understanding or arrogant disregard of the political landscape coupled with quite possibly the worst campaign in living memory she threw away the very mandate she sought.
As many a military historian will tell you win battles not by any strokes of genius but by making fewer mistakes than your opponent. The first issue is to believe you own headlines which it seems is the novice mistake made (with her approval) by her campaign managers.
Yet from all of the evidence of the last two elections and the referendum it is clear the UK is a divided nation. We are not alone cast your eyes across the world and you will diverse and extreme choices with the likes of Trump and Le Pen to the fore.
No matter your political persuasion you ignore such basic information at your peril.
The Conservatives gained power for the first time in over a decade via a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. Nobody believed the Conservatives would win an outright victory in 2015 with everybody misreading the influence of UKIP and the SNP. The Conservatives won because of Labour failings under Ed Milliband to manage those challenges.
The Labour Party since has been unelectable. Their leader could not control his Parliamentary Labour Party. It is still a minority party.
Across all parties has there been a more ineptly run, mistake ridden, confused and frankly unconvincing election campaign in British history? Blunder followed blunder followed blunder as politicians of all flavours stumbled across ill constructed and poorly presented manifestos.
Reflect for a moment on all their performances it presents a serious issue for our future.
The Brexit Referendum result presented our political representatives with an enormous task.
We know the wishes of the British people positioned at the time were and remain virtually undeliverable without at least significant risk to the UK economy and our standard of living.
We will not secure access to the single market without either freedom of movement or paying a huge price for access or both. Noted observers not least Matthew Paris calmly positioned this scenario from Day 1.
Many will now attack Theresa May with just cause. Critics from the Tory right are entitled to feel aggrieved. Their “hard Brexit” was within their grasp. This election result has placed their cause at serious risk. Yet the Tory right have no cause for complaint. They arrogantly refused to present any viable argument for their vision of a successful Brexit – nothing but rhetoric with no substance. We waited for months for the previous government to come up with a cogent, coherent plan for Brexit. It never arrived …… for a reason.
May was unable to reach a consensus opinion within her cabinet never mind the rest of parliament. No matter her appalling campaign performance the woman is not a fool.
Trying to move forward under the old government she would have been held hostage either by the right or the left of centre of the party. THERES WAS NO MIDDLE ROAD. The arguments of either arm of the party could have derailed her negotiations at any point.
To successfully conclude any negotiations you have to have consensus, certainty of purpose and exceptional clarity in terms of your goals and deliverables.
May took a calculated personal risk to empower her negotiating position by seeking a clear mandate from the British people. Through her own incompetence and those of her senior advisors she has failed to secure such a mandate but in truth she has merely maintained the status quo.
In reality NO SUCH MANDATE EVER EXISTED as evidenced by the referendum result and the two recent elections.
Her and our negotiating position is now weakened. May is now damaged, has no overall majority and can now be held hostage by any number of factions. The election result has compounded the challenge of delivering a successful outcome for the Brexit referendum result. We genuinely face the prospect of walking away with nothing.
Call for her resignation if you like but which Conservative politician would you want to replace her? Does it now really matter? Do you really think anyone across all of our political classes can establish a meaningful practical Brexit negotiating position with the political spectrum existing in the new Parliament of today?
We, the electorate, are part of the problem. Parliament is a reflection of the nation they represent. We are truly a nation divided.
A successful Brexit has always been exceptionally unlikely. Today I can but argue it is nigh on undeliverable as beyond all the multitude of undoubted political rainbow of complications there is one simple consideration.
Having viewed the crass ineptitude of our political classes in a simple straight forward election over a six week period is there really a single person you would really want to entrust in representing you in negotiating their way out of the proverbial wet paper bag let alone 2yrs of complex hitherto uncharted negotiations in extracting ourselves from the EU.
Most of the EU can scarcely conceal their bemused amusement.
Many have long questioned if the necessary experience, expertise and appropriate resources were there to achieve a successful Brexit outcome.
The past weeks should leave you in no doubt. Our political classes are simply not up to the job.
There is no turning back. Article 50 has been triggered. It does not augur well.
We truly face a huge, huge step into the unknown. Hang on tight!
We are a nation divided indeed. Personally I am prepared to see a personal tax increase in order to try to make things better, but not better for the established ruling class, but better for housing, public works, public services and the environment. It isn't just about those on over 80k, a figure I have never got even half way near, it isn't about big corporations either. It is about all of us who can afford it to put some money in. If that is a way of bringing the country together I am in. Not by borrowing more and more and more, but by dipping in to our considerable resources collectively.
Comments
Okay rugged good...
Balls. Count me out then.
Further talks later in the week, brexit discussions start Monday week, also talks to restart Stormont, now that the GE is over. This is really going well.
Brexit means brexit, enough is enough, sling your hook means sling your hook.
He is one slimy individuál at the best of times, but he said about the election that 'all this triumphalism sticks in my craw'.
Toby IT WAS MAY WHO CALLED THE ELECTION.
If someone offered me out, and I held them off when they were the aggressor, would I be expected to shut up about it when all done and dusted?
All this mood music that Labour should shut up about events is straight out of the 'Plebs and oiks should known their place' chapter in the Conservative handbook.
We've had relative peace in Northern Ireland for many years now. But it does not mean that there are not still tensions under the surface and groups ready and willing to exploit those tensions given the opportunity. A direct alliance between Downing St and the DUP cannot fulfil that impartiality requirement by definition and there will be individuals on both sides ready to use that to what they see as their advantage.
We are world masters when it comes to spying. The Americans use our not so secret electronic listening facility in Yorkshire. I suspect they are not the only ones, as our current leader threatened to withdraw our expertise, cooperation and data from our European friends if her negotiations don't go her way.
Con 318
LAB 262
SNP 35
LD 12
DUP 10
SF 7
PC 4
GRN 1
IND 1
So for the Conservatives to form a majority it has to be with either the SNP, the LD or the DUP. SNP & LD is never going to happen, a shame LD's wouldn't step in again.
If Labour joined with all parties and the IND aside from SF would give 325 seats, 1 short. My knowledge in NI isn't brilliant but i'd assume that the DUP wouldn't join with Labour giving them only 315 seats, 3 less than the conservatives have on their own.
I don't think this election could of gone any worse for the country as a whole......
I wonder if people will punish the Tories for jumping into bed with the DUP?
It was calculated that the difference between a Labour Government and a Tory one was around 2k votes - that is the fine margin facing the Tories!
But what is painfully clear is that hung parliaments are becoming the norm but our political system is not well suited for this being a regular occurance.
Time to change to a voting system that embraces the idea of multi-party Parliaments and not one that is exclusively only useful in a two-party system.
Have a quote and Lol on me for that one.
The Tories should carry on in government because it will be a great test of their strength and stability
I have no problem with the result. The people have spoken again and our elected officials will need to get on with roles they have been elected to fulfil. It is indeed called “grown up” politics.
I fully recognised the political need for May to call the election but with such a lack of understanding or arrogant disregard of the political landscape coupled with quite possibly the worst campaign in living memory she threw away the very mandate she sought.
As many a military historian will tell you win battles not by any strokes of genius but by making fewer mistakes than your opponent. The first issue is to believe you own headlines which it seems is the novice mistake made (with her approval) by her campaign managers.
Yet from all of the evidence of the last two elections and the referendum it is clear the UK is a divided nation. We are not alone cast your eyes across the world and you will diverse and extreme choices with the likes of Trump and Le Pen to the fore.
No matter your political persuasion you ignore such basic information at your peril.
The Conservatives gained power for the first time in over a decade via a coalition with the Liberal Democrats. Nobody believed the Conservatives would win an outright victory in 2015 with everybody misreading the influence of UKIP and the SNP. The Conservatives won because of Labour failings under Ed Milliband to manage those challenges.
The Labour Party since has been unelectable. Their leader could not control his Parliamentary Labour Party. It is still a minority party.
Across all parties has there been a more ineptly run, mistake ridden, confused and frankly unconvincing election campaign in British history? Blunder followed blunder followed blunder as politicians of all flavours stumbled across ill constructed and poorly presented manifestos.
Reflect for a moment on all their performances it presents a serious issue for our future.
The Brexit Referendum result presented our political representatives with an enormous task.
We know the wishes of the British people positioned at the time were and remain virtually undeliverable without at least significant risk to the UK economy and our standard of living.
We will not secure access to the single market without either freedom of movement or paying a huge price for access or both. Noted observers not least Matthew Paris calmly positioned this scenario from Day 1.
Many will now attack Theresa May with just cause. Critics from the Tory right are entitled to feel aggrieved. Their “hard Brexit” was within their grasp. This election result has placed their cause at serious risk. Yet the Tory right have no cause for complaint. They arrogantly refused to present any viable argument for their vision of a successful Brexit – nothing but rhetoric with no substance. We waited for months for the previous government to come up with a cogent, coherent plan for Brexit. It never arrived …… for a reason.
May was unable to reach a consensus opinion within her cabinet never mind the rest of parliament. No matter her appalling campaign performance the woman is not a fool.
Trying to move forward under the old government she would have been held hostage either by the right or the left of centre of the party. THERES WAS NO MIDDLE ROAD. The arguments of either arm of the party could have derailed her negotiations at any point.
To successfully conclude any negotiations you have to have consensus, certainty of purpose and exceptional clarity in terms of your goals and deliverables.
May took a calculated personal risk to empower her negotiating position by seeking a clear mandate from the British people. Through her own incompetence and those of her senior advisors she has failed to secure such a mandate but in truth she has merely maintained the status quo.
In reality NO SUCH MANDATE EVER EXISTED as evidenced by the referendum result and the two recent elections.
Her and our negotiating position is now weakened. May is now damaged, has no overall majority and can now be held hostage by any number of factions. The election result has compounded the challenge of delivering a successful outcome for the Brexit referendum result. We genuinely face the prospect of walking away with nothing.
Call for her resignation if you like but which Conservative politician would you want to replace her? Does it now really matter? Do you really think anyone across all of our political classes can establish a meaningful practical Brexit negotiating position with the political spectrum existing in the new Parliament of today?
We, the electorate, are part of the problem. Parliament is a reflection of the nation they represent. We are truly a nation divided.
A successful Brexit has always been exceptionally unlikely. Today I can but argue it is nigh on undeliverable as beyond all the multitude of undoubted political rainbow of complications there is one simple consideration.
Having viewed the crass ineptitude of our political classes in a simple straight forward election over a six week period is there really a single person you would really want to entrust in representing you in negotiating their way out of the proverbial wet paper bag let alone 2yrs of complex hitherto uncharted negotiations in extracting ourselves from the EU.
Most of the EU can scarcely conceal their bemused amusement.
Many have long questioned if the necessary experience, expertise and appropriate resources were there to achieve a successful Brexit outcome.
The past weeks should leave you in no doubt. Our political classes are simply not up to the job.
There is no turning back. Article 50 has been triggered. It does not augur well.
We truly face a huge, huge step into the unknown. Hang on tight!
Personally I am prepared to see a personal tax increase in order to try to make things better, but not better for the established ruling class, but better for housing, public works, public services and the environment.
It isn't just about those on over 80k, a figure I have never got even half way near, it isn't about big corporations either. It is about all of us who can afford it to put some money in.
If that is a way of bringing the country together I am in.
Not by borrowing more and more and more, but by dipping in to our considerable resources collectively.